Shoe-lace fastener.



F. ZELLER.

SHOE LACE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1912.

1,52,55 1. Patentedf-Fe'b. 11, 1913.

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FRITZ ZELLER, OF BENTON, WASHINGTON.

SHOE-LACE FASTENER.

at right angles to the longitudinal edge of antenna.

specificetion'ofletters Patent. Pa,tented Feb, 11, 1%)13, Application filed April 27, 1912. Serial No. 139E574.

T all whom it may concern: the shoe upper. These members are longitu- Be it known that I, FRrrz ZELLER, a citidinally split to provide open casings to rezen of the United, States, residing at Ben; ceive the hollow tapering sheet metal memton, in the county of King and State of bets 10 which are arranged on the ends of 5 Washington, have invented certain new and the lace L. The larger ends of these tap l" 5% useful Improvements in Shoe-Lace Fasten- 'ing members 'are closed by means of the ers, of which the following is a specification, removable plugs 11, which are threaded reference bei g h d to th anying therein. The body wall of the member drawings. is provided with alperipheral groove-cen- 10 This invention relates to improvements in trally between the ends of said member as 55 shoe lace fasteners and has for its primary hOWn at 12-- Tlle lace L is knotted at its object to provide a simple and eflicient deend as shown at 13 and this knotted end vice for this purpose whereby the shoe may of the lace is disposed in the narrower or be easily and quickly laced and the ends of. mal erend of the member 10, said knot be 15 thelaces securely attached to the shoe upper. ing ofsuch size as to effectually eliminate 70 Y A further 0 .j-cct or the invention is to --all-liability of the: detachment'aof the law provide alacet'astener which is of extremely from-said members. gThe split member 9 is simple form, 'will be neat in appearance provided at diametrically opposite points when applied to the shoe and may be mannwith indentations 14 which are adapted to as featured at comparatively small cost. engage in the groove 12 of the membe 75 With the above and other objects in view said indentations extending in parallel rethe invention consists in the novel features ati n transversely of the member 9' and in of construction and in the arrangement and the plane of the attaching spurs 9. combination of parts hereinafter more fully From the above description the use of described, pointed out in the claim and the device will be-apparent. When the lace 0 shown in the accompanying drawings, in is loose in order'to remove the shoe from which, the foot the opposed edge portions of the Figure 1-is an elevation of-the meeting upper are separated, and the members 10 edges or a shoe upper showing my improved engage with the upper and lower guide loops a lace fastener applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an on the shoe to limit the movement of the i enlarged section taken on the line 2--2 of lace through said loops. When it is desired 1 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line to draw the edges of the shoe upper closely 3-3 of Fig. l. together, the wearer pulls upon the upper 7 Referring in detail to the drawing S dos-N end of thelace thereby drawing the same I ignates the shoe upper adjacent to the meetover the stud loops and disposingthe meming edge of which a plurality of spaced ber 10 on the upper end of the lace in posih guide loops 5 are attached, the loops on one tion to be inserted into the casing 9 adjaportionof the upper being located in planes cent the upper edge of the shoe upper. It

' intermediate of the loops 011 the opposed Will be understood of course that the mem- 0' portion of the shoe uppen ber 10 on the other end of the lace is per- To the upper of the shoe adjacent one or a y g g in the casing 9 at th V the edges thereof and at opposite ends of the lower end of the upper." "As the smaller end row or loops thereon, the members 9 are of the member 10 is forced inwardly 'besecured. These members are of; hollow tatween the opposed side walls of the casin 9, 45 pering form and are provided with-spurs or said walls' are sprung apart until thein en- 0 5 projections indicated at 9 which are adapt tations 14. thereon engage in the groove 12 v ed to be forced throughthe leather of the. in the wall of the member 10. The resili- 4 shoe upper and clenched upon the inner surency of the casing walls retains the projecface thereof. The membert, which is articns therein in close engagement with saidi1 ranged at the lower end-of the row of lacgroove and prevents accidental or'uninten- 1 ving loops andadjacent .to the vamp of the tional movement of the member 10 out-of shoe has its longitudinal axis disposed parthe casing 9. 1

allel to the edge of the shoe upper, while the From the foregoing it is believed that the axis of the other of said plates is disposed construction and manner of use vof my in? proved lace fastener will be clearly understood. The device is extremely simple in its construction and may consequently be manufactured at very small cost.

By means of the fastener constructed in the manner above set forth, the shoe may be quickly and securely laced.

It will of course be obvious that other forms of lacing studs may be used in connection with my improved fastener. The fastener itself'is also susceptible of a great many minor modifications in form and proportions without departing from the essential features or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

\Vhat I claim is The herein described fastener comprising in combination the following elements, to wit; a tapering hollow member formed of spring metal and longitudinally split to provide spaced resilient portions, said member having attaching spurs centrally formed thereon and provided in its opposed walls with transversely extending parallel indentations to produce inwardly projecting ribs thereon, which terminate at one of their ends adjacent the edges of said member, and a longitudinally tapering hollow member closed at one end and provided with an opening in its closed end forthe connection of a shoe lace thereto, said latter member being provided intermediate of its ends with a peripheral groove, the smaller end of said member being adapted for insertion into the larger end of said first named member to engage the inwardly projecting ribs' thereof and force the opposed portions of said member apart to cause the ribs thereon to engage in said peripheral groove, the resiliency of the spaced portions of said first named mem- 

